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Bengals' Drafting Key to Success
Especially rounds 2 and 3
By Michael Abromowitz,
10/5/05
The Bengals are for
real! Marvin Lewis has taken this team from the absolute bottom of
the totem pole and back into a competitve team. But how did Marvin
do it? Was it being a big buyer in the free agency market. No! Actually the only free agent
the Bengals brought in this past season from another NFL team was DT
Bryan Robinson. Then how did Coach Lewis do it? Great
drafting, but especially in rounds 2 and 3.
Here is the list of the Bengals' 2nd and 3rd round picks since Marvin
Lewis has been coach:
2003
2nd: Eric Steinbach G
3rd: Kelley Washington WR
2004:
2nd: Keiwan Ratliff CB
2nd: Madieu Williams S
3rd: Caleb Miller LB
3rd: Landon Johnson LB
2005:
2nd: Odell Thurman LB
3rd: Chris Henry WR
Of those 8 players, 6 have made a tremedous impact on the Bengals
so far this season. Only Kelley Washington and Caleb Miller have
failed to make an impact. Washington, has shown instances of becoming a solid player, but
because of the Bengals' depth at wide receiver, he has only been
activated one game this season. On almost any other team, Washington
would be at worst a third wide receiver. Miller's career has
consisted of mostly injuries and he has not been on the field much in his
career. But, if healthy, Miller would add great depth to the
Bengals' defense.
Of the 6 players who have made an impact, 4 are starters. Keiwan
Ratliff is the nickelback, mostly because the starting cornerbacks are
former Pro Bowlers Tory James and Deltha O' Neal. Ratliff also is
the team's punt returner. Ratliff's future looks bright and looks
to be in the Bengals' defensive backfield for years to come. Chris Henry,
is not startiing (because of Chad
and TJ), but he is getting plenty of playing time as the team's third
wide receiver because the Bengals' use 3 WRs often in its
formation. With Chad Johnson, TJ Houshmandzadeh and Henry, the
Bengals may have the best receiever trio in the NFL. Henry looks to
be the real deal, (maybe that is why the Bengals gave him a 5 year
contract, even though he was a 3rd round pick).
Now the starters:
Since being drafted, Eric Steinbach has been a starter on the Bengals'
offensive line. Steinbach is
considerd by most NFL experts as o top 10 guard. Steinbach is
also a major reason why his teammate Rudi Johnson got a big paycheck this
offseason. Look for Steinbach to be a fixture on the Bengals'
line for the next decade.
Madieu Williams was the no name guy the Bengals drafted in the second
round of the 2004 draft. Very few people had much information on
this tall safety from Maryland.
It did not take long for Williams to be a
household name in Cincinnati.
Williams has been a starter since his rookie season, and is on the verge
of becoming one of the premier safeties in the league. He is
no longer a nobody.
Last year when MLB Nate Webster was lost for the season, Landon Johnson
came to the rescue. Despite being an OLB, Johnson was able to fill
the void, and only ended up being the team's leading tackler. What
did he get for his reward? A demotion to second team because the
Bengals drafted David Pollack. But with Pollack's holdout and
Johnson's play, Landon now starts as an OLB and Pollack plays defensive
end.
And now we get to Odell Thurman, last month's NFL's defensive rookie of
the month. What can I say about this guy's first four games. Impressive! Another player that
looks to be a fixture in Cincinnati.
The MLB position is so important, and the Bengals seem to have a good
one. Thurman's future looks bright. Look to see him in Hawaii
by next season.
Some teams, just do not know how to draft.
But, ever since Marvin Lewis has been coach, drafting does not seem to be
a problem. Drafting seems to be the tool to build
teams. Some teams have tried to build teams with free agency (Washington,
Minnesota, Oakland),
but they have failed. The Patriots are the model for drafting and
it seems the Bengals have followed. All four offensive weapons were
drafted by the team: Carson Palmer QB, Chad Johnson WR, TJ
Houshmandzadeh WR, Rudi Johnson RB,. Only Carson
was a first round pick. Chad
was a 2nd round pick, Rudi was a 4th round pick,
and TJ was a 7th round pick.
Lewis also drafted starting fullback Jeremi Johnson, starting defensive
end Robert Geathers, and future center Eric Ghiaciuc in the fourth
round. Kick returner Tab Perry was drafted in this years 6th
round. Marvin Lewis and the Bengals have drafted talent and it has
shown recently. And most of this talent comes outside the first
round. For skeptics who say the draft is not important, just look
at the Bengals. The draft has changed the team's whole image.
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